8 - What the tunnels hide

LIRA

I froze.

Slowly, I turned, and there she was. Lady Amara Fenwick, leaning casually against the wall with that same sly smirk she always wore like a second skin.

“No,” I said smoothly, keeping my voice even. “Just exploring.”

She tilted her head, eyeing me with a look that said she didn’t buy it for a second. Her powers made it far too easy for her to appear out of nowhere, cloaking herself in invisibility. No wonder I hadn’t heard her. Of all the girls in this cursed selection, she was the last one I wanted trailing behind me.

“Exploring?” she echoed, voice thick with amusement. “That’s bold of you, considering the rest of us are sticking to the main halls like obedient little sheep. But you don’t strike me as the obedient type, Lira of the Vale.”

My heart thudded in my chest, but I kept my expression calm and forced a smile. “I like to familiarise myself with my surroundings, that's all.”

Her eyes danced with mischief as she stepped closer. “You’re an interesting one. I’ll give you that. Just be careful, some of these old halls have ears. And they like to talk.”

She turned on her heel and sauntered off, leaving me standing there, trying not to collapse with relief. My hands were clammy.

That was too close.

Next time, I’d have to be more careful. Amara had nearly caught me. I made a mental note, avoid her if I was going to sneak around again. I knew she had powers, but I hadn’t realised she was that fast. Or that curious.

Still, I wasn’t about to give up.

I turned back to the wall, my fingers brushing over the cold stone. Then I felt it, a faint seam, almost invisible, hidden behind a tattered tapestry. My breath caught. Slowly, I pressed against it, and with a soft groan of old stone, the wall gave way.

A narrow passage revealed itself.

Without hesitation, I stepped inside; there was a torch at the mouth of the passage, and I took it.

The air was damp and smelled like ancient earth. The walls were close, almost too close, and shadows danced in my flickering torch. But I didn’t care. This was what I needed. This hidden tunnel could be the key to everything, eavesdropping, sneaking around, and escaping if I had to. It was perfect.

I crept forward, my heart pounding with each step, already mapping the turns in my mind. I could feel it in my bones; this was important. This was mine.

Then I heard it, footsteps.

I extinguished my lantern and pressed myself flat against the wall, holding my breath.

The footsteps grew louder, closer, then stopped.

“Interesting,” a voice murmured.

My blood turned to ice.

Crown Prince Cassian.

“Whoever you are”, he said, his voice low and curious, “you’d better hope I don’t find you!”

I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. His voice echoed through the passage, sharp and dangerous. After a moment, the sound of his footsteps faded.

Only then did I exhale.

I relit the lantern with shaking hands and hurried deeper into the passage, my eyes wide and alert. The air grew colder, the tunnel tighter. I found a side path, barely wide enough for me to fit and squeezed through. A rusted torch lay on the ground, its handle wrapped in fraying cloth. I picked it up and lit it using my lantern before dousing the latter to save fuel.

The new tunnel twisted sharply and sloped downward. I moved fast but carefully, hearing faint echoes behind me. I didn’t know if it was Cassian or something else, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

Then, suddenly, the narrow tunnel opened up.

I stepped into a massive cavern.

My torch barely lit the space, but I could feel how big it was. The ceiling vanished into darkness, and the air felt thick, almost alive. I stepped forward, the ground uneven beneath my boots.

A cave. A cave right beneath the palace.

Who else knew this existed?

Then I heard it, a low, rhythmic sound. A pulse. Like a heartbeat, slow and steady. My torch flickered, and I froze.

The ground trembled.

Shadows shifted.

And then I saw them, two enormous, golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

I stumbled backwards, the torch slipping from my hand.

A dragon.

A real, breathing, terrifying dragon.

Its black scales shimmered like obsidian, and it moved with unnatural grace, looming over me. I couldn't even scream. My whole body locked in place.

I should’ve run when I had the chance. I should’ve never come here. What was I thinking?

I was going to die.

But the dragon didn’t strike.

Instead, it exhaled a smoky breath that washed over me, warm and oddly soothing. And then I heard it, not with my ears, but inside my head.

“You do not belong here, little one,” it said. Its voice was deep and ancient, echoing in my bones. “Leave this place and tell no one of what you have seen. If you value your life, you will forget this encounter.”

I stared at it, mouth open. I had a million questions, why was it here? Why under the palace? The dragons lived far from Aurelia, in the Dragon’s Keep at Elderich. What was this one doing here?! What was it guarding?

But I couldn’t speak. The power in its gaze held me silent.

So I nodded. Slowly. Shakily.

I picked up the torch and backed away, the dragon watching me the whole time. Its golden eyes never blinked.

As soon as I reached the tunnel, I turned and ran.

I didn’t stop until I was back at the hidden entrance, my lungs burning and my hands trembling. I slipped into the castle halls like a shadow, glancing behind me one last time.

The tapestry swung gently in the breeze, hiding the entrance from sight.

A secret now lived inside me. One, I would guard, at least for now.

But I knew this wasn’t over.

The dragon had warned me. But I had seen it. I had found it.

I had a feeling I was going to see it again.